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Thursday, 28 February 2013

The NME must think that it's readers are a bit stupid, either that or they assume that those in the know about the life and times of Punk Rock don't actually read their newspaper anymore! Whatever the case I want to take them to task over their list of 50 albums that Built Punk.

(Click on the Links in GOLD toor listen to the specific artists.)

Mmm...You don't have to spend too much time in that list without thinking that there are albums present that really should not be there in the first place and there albums that should be there that are much puzzled absentees!

I mean Bikini Kill are there but not Penetration and their excellent debut album 'Moving Targets'? Blink 182 are there but 'Young, Loud and Snotty' byThe Dead Boysisn't! The Misfits are there but 'The Crack' by The Ruts isn't! The Strokes are there but neither of The Boys first two albums are!

Monday, 25 February 2013

A busy year ahead for Mike Peters with a new album by The Alarm coming out closely followed by a tour and then a new Big Country album and tour. Life does not slow down for one of the busiest men in rock and roll.All the best from Soundtrack4Life.

Thursday, 21 February 2013

JC CarrollofThe Membersand all round musical genius has done some really brilliant music in his time and so it's no great surprise to hear his cover ofDavid Bowie's latest single. The video was filmed in Berlin and a very heartfelt moment of the film is seeing JC visitng the Berlin
Airlift Monument in Berlin-Tempelhof, displaying the names of the 38
British 1 French and 31 American airmen who lost their lives during the
operation (includingJC's Uncle E.L. Carroll).JCposted the video only six days ago and he's already had over 24,000 views! Have to admit that I quite like this versionand really like the video that JC assures me was made on his iPhone!

JC Carroll - Where Are We Now?

You can purchase the single over at iTunes for the princely sum of 79p

Sunday, 10 February 2013

(Click on the Links in this colour to hear the original songs that have been covered on this album!)Aaron Neville has one of those voices that is so smooth that the mere sound of his falsetto is guaranteed to melt you. He's been around a long time and at the age of 72 he's continuing to look back upon the music that shaped his life. With this first album for three years, and his first for Blue Note Records, Neville returns to the music of Doo-Wop. The twelve tracks that make up the album were hand picked by Neville and recorded in the space of 5 days and a further 11 tracks were laid down, making sure there will be at least another volume of Doo-Wop Classics in the future. The producing duties for the album fell to Don Was (President of Blue Note Records) and Keith Richards (legendary guitarist of The Rolling Stones).

Neville gathered around him some real talented musicians for the project: Keith Richards played guitar on the record, as did Greg Leisz (Beck, Sheryl
Crow). Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers) played
keyboards. Nora Jones’ bass player Tony Scherr was utilized. Featured on
drums is George Receli, who has pounded the skins for Dylan.

With such talent laying down the music and Was/Richards at the controls they have actually made an album that sounds like it was cast in those early days of Doo-Wop.The album opens with 'Money Honey' (originally released by Clyde MacPhatter and The Drifters in 1953) and from then on it's a crash course in Doo-Wop, and Rhythm and Blues. 'My True Story', orginally performed by Jive Five, then it's another Drifters tune from 1958 - 'Ruby Baby'. 'Gypsy Woman' by The Impressions (1961) follows and then it's one from Neville's childhood. In 1952 he was 11 years old when The Clovers were Number 1 on the charts, 'Ting a Ling'. A rather simple reading of 'Be My Baby' that has none of the Spector Wall of Sound yet actually sounds a whole lot sweeter. Thurston Harris' 1957 'Little Bitty Pretty One' is next up and if you close your eyes and just fall into the song it's almost like being transported back to those late 1950's dances! 'Tears on my Pillow' (Little Anthony and the Imperials) has been well covered down through the years and again Neville just totally seals the deal with a cracking vocal. A third Drifters song, 'Under the Boardwalk' brings out the real soulfulness of Neville's voice. The 1954 single release by Hank Ballard and The Midnighters, 'Work With Me Annie' is just beautiful and puts a wee spring in the step. You get the feeling by track 11 that Aaron Neville really was inspired as a youngster by The Drifters because a fourth (and fifth) song that had Ben E. King on vocals is next up 'This Magic Moment' coupled with 'True Love'. The album ends on a high note as well with 'Goodnight My Love' originally released in 1954 by Jessie Belvin (that apprently featured an 11 year old Barry White playing the piano!!).My True Story (Audio).The Making of My True Story.It's only February and I've already begun my pile of albums that will feature in the album of the year in December and this one sits pretty on top.

We don't really give ratings for the albums featured on here but if we did then this one would be at least a 9 out of 10!

Thursday, 7 February 2013

2009 is a long way off now. That's the last time we heard on record Holly Williams with her 'Here With Me' album. But now she's back, no longer on a major label (their loss) but on an Indie (her own Georgiana imprint), and she's back crafting what she does best.

Holly Williams and Charlie Peacock co-produced the album and initially it was just going to be a nine track affair entitled 'Railroads'. But then she wrote 'The Highway' and scrapped the whole idea that 'Railroads' was going to be released (all the mastering, artwork etc was already done!).

There's a few guests on the album (Jackson Browne, Dierks Bentley, Jakob Dylan and Gwyneth Paltrow) but that shouldn't detract in any way the quality of the music that Holly Williams has put together. Some people will always point out that she's only where she is because of her famous Dad (Hank Williams Jnr) or Grandfather (Hank Williams), but that is a total diservice to her own creativity. She's a woman who has worked extremely hard to get where she is and has had struggles to go along with that (in 2006 she was involved in a car crash and it was questionable wether she would ever paly the guitar again! She wrote 'Without Jesus Here With Me' as a result of her experience).

The new album was released a couple of days ago in the USA and for some odd reason doesn't get a UK release until the summer of this year! She's already out on the promotional trail and has released a video for 'Drinkin', the opening song on the new album. She also appeared on Jay Leno Show performing 'Let You Go' (track 7 from the album).

Besides all the busyness of the music industry Holly also owns a Clothing Boutique called H.Audrey in Nashville (which she began after the car crash as she was uncertain of her musical pathway).

Monday, 4 February 2013

There have been unconfirmed reports about the death of Reg Presley, lead vocalist of The Troggs. We know that he has been battling Lung Cancer and had stepped down out of public life. Will try to find out more about this.

Sunday, 3 February 2013

If ever there was an album that I am excited to see being reissued then it is this gem of an album by Mr Dion DiMucci. My personal view of this album is that there is not a bad track on it at all. Apparently this was reissued back in November last year but for some strange reason only just made the March 2013 edition of Uncut Magazine's review section.It's a shame that there are no extras included with the reissue but then again why spoil what is already a perfect album.

If ever there was a couplet to re-establish the early stance of Dion
records, it can be found in ‘King Of The New York Streets’: “I didn’t
need no bodyguard. I just ruled from my backyard”. This opening track on
“Yo Frankie”, Dion’s 1989 album that has long been on Ace’s re-release
wish list, sets the scene firmly amid the pavements and haunts of the
Big Apple, recapturing in one song all the imagery and associations we
have from the man’s classic 50s and early 60s hits.“Yo Frankie” came about after Clive Davis and Roy Lott, the president
and vice-president of Arista Records, had watched Dion perform at Radio
City in 1987 and immediately offered him the chance to cut an album for
them. Dave Edmunds, whose work Dion admired, was chosen to produce the
record. Edmunds enlisted key players – including bassist Phil Chen,
drummer Terry Williams and keyboard player Chuck Leavell – to form a
tight rocking unit to drive the album. Dion prepared a wonderful set of
songs, many written with his good friend Bill Tuohy, with others by
Diane Warren, Bryan Adams and Tom Waits.Alongside the quality of the material and Dion’s vocal performance,
one of the most successful elements of the album is the cohesiveness of
the production. Edmunds achieves a strong contemporary rock feel
strongly rooted in his Rockpile work that effortlessly offers a bridge
back to the feel of Dion’s earlier recordings. There are just enough
echoes of the past to make everything seem familiar while still feeling
fresh and new. Dion’s vocal inflections extract the maximum from the
lyrical imagery, notably on the castanet-filled ‘Always In The Rain’,
his favourite track on the album.The sessions for the album attracted many big names to the studio,
including Bryan Adams, who wrote, produced and played on ‘Drive All
Night’. Paul Simon takes the lead and layered harmonies on the
affectionately inserted ‘Little Star’ section of ‘Written On The Subway
Wall’. As Lou Reed, another guest background vocalist, said in Dion’s
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction speech (reproduced in full in the
booklet), “Dion could do all the turns. He had the chops and practically
invented the attitude. After all, who could be hipper than Dion.”The “Yo Frankie” album stands as one of the real high points in
Dion’s canon. We at Ace are totally delighted to add it to our extensive
catalogue of his work.By Kingsley Abbott

Marriage break-ups, extra-marital affairs, heavy drinking, drug fueled sessions, oh, and the creation of some masterful pop tunes. It sounds like a script for a bad soap opera, but the reality is it was part and parcel of the making of what was to become one of the biggest selling albums ever!Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you 'Rumours' by Fleetwood Mac!One thing is quite clear, if you know anything about music you have probably heard the tales of the making of this album, or seen the tv show 'Classic Albums: The making of Rumours'. So there's not an awful lot to add to that, but I will mention a little about the 35th Anniversary release that has just come out in a number of different formats, focusing on the Super Deluxe Edition.

Disc Four of this set - Roughs/Early Demos/Outtakes - has already been released as part of the 2004 remaster and so it's a bit of a puzzle why it's ended up back in this new reissue, but then again maybe it was just to bring everything together under one roof so to speak. Disc Two presents a live package from the tour to promote the new work featuring eight of the songs from the album. It's pretty good and demostrates that despite the dysfunction that was going on within the band they did manage to maintain a united front on stage.Disc Three though is the disc that matters a little more because on it there some of the seeds to what would become standout tracks on the 'Rumours' album. An acoustic version of 'The Chain' with Steve Nicks sounding excellent - a full song in it's own right but as time moved on only the chorus was retained. Next to that is Christine McVie's 'Keep Me There' which again ended up as forming part of 'The Chain'. Hearing the song all these years later you can see why the song in it's fulness failed to make the album, it's just a wee bit too heavy musically though the second part is just amazing to listen to and you can't think of it fitting elsewhere other than the 2nd part of 'The Chain' with John McVie's pulsating bass line leading the charge. An early take of 'Oh Daddy' has Christine McVie leading the band as she shouts out instructions throughout, and for me it is one of the standout tracks, as is the early take of 'Silver Springs' with Stevie Nicks in fine voice.

Rumours by the Numbers

2nd #1 album for Fleetwood Mac following 1975's self-titled album.31 non-consecutive weeks at #1 in the USA.10 Million copies sold by March1978.13 Million copies sold worldwide by 1980.20 Million copies worldwide by 1987.25 Million sold worldwide by 1997.30 Million sold worldwide by 2004.40 Million sold worldwide by 2009.11x Platinum in the UK.19x Platinum in the USA by 2012.13x Platinum in Australia.5 x Gold in Germany by 2006.6th Best Selling Album Ever in the USA.

Those numbers are pretty impressive when you consider what Mick Fleetwood said recently regarding the making of the album, "It was a chronicle of a moment in time for five people who were totally miserable in the romantic realm and yet incredibly happy and productive musically." (Uncut 190, March 2013)

It's actually a wonder that any music came out of these five lives with all the emotional turmoil going but listening back to it all these years on it still has a sense of sparkle about it.

It's actually quite funny sitting down writing about 'Rumours' all these years later. When it was released Punk was on the verge of breaking out big style and bands like Fleetwood Mac were consideredpast their sell-by-date and their music fit only for the fire. I have to say I never thought that way. Even though I was a punk rocker in them days I could never disown the music that I had grown up with, it was special and to cast it aside forever would be to wipe out far too many childhood memories. Maybe it was put up on the shelf for a few years whilst discovering new music but it was always within reach should the urge come to listen to quality musicianship and beautifully crafted pop songs.

Thirty Six years on it still sounds like an amazing album. Some of course will hate it and others will totally love it...it's a bit like marmite really!